Impossibilities (revisited)
by RJRelentless
Summary: "The realisation came to Leliana one late night while visiting the privy. She had had her suspicions for a while, nearly a month. She hadn't expressed these concerns with Theron yet, remembering what he'd told her during the time of the Blight; Due to him being a Grey Warden, Theron creating offspring was impossible." MaharielXLeliana
1. Chapter 1

As Leliana lay in the soft, plush bed that she and her lover, Theron Mahariel, were given for the night, she counted the endless stars which were scattered around the dark sky, biting her lip as she stroked his short, brown hair.

How she was able to hold him in her arms as he slept, she didn't know.

Part of her felt betrayed, angry at him for what had done. But another felt happy, joyous, telling her that his actions were to save his life; to allow them to stay together. To make it so that no one would be leaving her again, like so many people before him had.

Theron moved in her arms, pushing his small nose deeper into her hair. He always said that he enjoyed the smell of her red, fiery locks. _**Honeycomb**_ , he said.

When they were travelling through Fereldan, Leliana would frequently have nightmares about the most terrifying things; her memories. Being captured by the Orlesian Guards, the first time she ever took a man's life... _Marjolaine..._ After awakening from these terrible dreams, she would often crawl from her tent and find her way to Theron's, snuggling into the man's side until she felt better, refreshed and safe. His own smell was a mixture of the forest trees and fresh spring water, a scent that Leliana came to love during their time together. Now, however, she could hardly stand the stench of the Elven man.

Sweat, sex... _Morrigan..._ That's all she could smell at that point; that _she-devil._ That... that _bitch..._

As much as she wanted to hate the apostate mage, Leliana couldn't indulge herself fully, knowing that Morrigan's offer was ultimately leading to Theron's safety against death.

Leliana replayed the conversation she and her lover had had just before she gave her consent to save his life. She recalled how hurt both of them had been; the tears that stung her eyes as he explained to her that he _had_ to do this, too scared was he of dying. But of course, he would leave it all down to her. _'I won't do it without your say so, Ma Vhenan'_ he'd said, looking down to her with pleading eyes.

 _How fair_.

Theron had left Leliana in her room then, muttering a weak goodbye before he closed the door and ventured down the hall to his own private quarters. Leliana allowed the tears to flow then, knowing that as she led down, cold in her empty bed, he would be indulging in another woman, dancing the playful game of love and pleasure as that _bitch_ whispered words of filth into his ear.

He had returned to her in half an hour, quietly opening her door to peer inside, noting that she was under the covers, and without a word, dressed himself in his nightly attire and slipped under the furs next to her, not quite touching, but close enough for the Orlesian woman to feel his heat. He knew that she wasn't asleep, of course. No woman would be able to find slumber knowing that their lover was with another woman. She turned around to face him, her eyes red from weeping. They had embraced then, holding each other tightly, Theron whispering into her neck 'I'm so sorry', 'Forgive me' and 'I love you so much'.

Soon after, he'd fallen asleep in her smooth, pale arms, leaving Leliana to her thoughts. At the end of it all, she knew that he was doing this for her as much as for him. He knew how much she'd lost already, and he was in no hurry to be killed. And Morrigan now had her demon baby. ' _Works out for everyone'_ Leliana thought sarcastically.

As she held onto Theron tighter, sleep slowly began to claim her, her thoughts dispersing as dreams of the future came meet her.

 _Finally, a party!_ Leliana thought as she entered the Great Hall of Denerim Castle. Everywhere she looked, there was some noble making conversation, or a bunch of ladies- in-waiting attempting to gain the attention of the newly appointed King of Fereldan. This was the part the Grand Game that she missed; the people. Finding out who they were, what they'd done to obtain such elaborate clothing; It was all such a joy to her, and one of the few aspects she was glad to have brought with her from her previous life as a Bard. She sat in the corner of the large room, observing everyone who passed her.

She watched as the people around her danced, the Elven servants offered food to any passer-by's, smiling with kindness as they curtsied or bowed. From the scene in front of her, however, there was only one thing missing; The Hero of Fereldan.

As soon as he had been given his new Title, Theron huffed, claiming that it was way too... _formal_ for his liking. Leliana had thought that the name suited him very well, and had even teased him about it.

Shortly after the Battle, Theron, Zevran and Wynne had gone in search for the missing apostate, no one seeing any sign of the witch since before the Archdemon had been slaughtered. It had been five days since then, and she hadn't reappeared. She did, after all, promise Theron that she would never be seen again, and it appeared she was true to her word.

Leliana sighed, her thoughts going back to the fact that the Blight was now over. They were all free to do as they wished now, celebrating being the main priority on ever one's list.

Well, mainly.

With Morrigan being missing, the Hero of Fereldan and his companions had put celebrating their victory aside for a short while, Theron insisting that finding the witch was more important. It was only the day before the party that he'd finally set aside his worry, and acknowledged that finding her would be near impossible. Today was the first real day that he truly relaxed. The first time in a year that he would wake up and not have to leave his bed for his duty. And he found that waking up beside his red head and not having to rise to the day was defiantly not a bad thing.

Leliana smirked, making a mental promise that tonight, after the party, she and the Elven man would be doing some 'celebrating' of their own.

It had been three months since the Blights end, and the people of Fereldan had moved on quickly from the terror and destruction of the Darkspawn. The people bound together to help the country move forward, to progress from this experience and rebuild what had been lost.

Most of the companions of the Hero of Fereldan had gone their separate ways.

The mage Wynne returned to the Circle for a time, helping her people rebuild the Circle of Magi and riding the tower of the few stray demons. Zevran had explained to his companions that he would travel for a while, claiming that the one thing he missed about the Crows was the moving around, jumping from one place to the next. He said that he would briefly return to Antiva, and make his way from there. Oghren stayed in Denerim for a while, before moving through to Lake Calenhad, where he reunited with his old flame, Felsi. The Hero of Fereldan received a letter months after his departure, expressing that Felsi was pregnant.

After a year of being separate from his _Asala_ , the Hero helped Sten find his missing sword, giving the Qunari the chance to return home, to Seheron. Sten departed from Fereldan a week after the Blight had ended, giving the Hero a last friendly word of hope; that when his people eventually invaded Fereldan, which they one day would, that the two would never cross paths. Alistair took up the Title and responsibility of King, causing uncertainty amongst his people. He soon showed to be a promising leader, however, with the help and support of the Hero of Fereldan. Denerim was rebuilt quickly under his Rule, as well as the entire country, and things were slowly getting back to normal.

As for the Theron and Leliana, they travelled Fereldan for a short time, coming back to Denerim every so often so Theron could assist the new monarch. It was during such a time that Leliana realised something that would change both her and Theron's lives forever.

The realisation came to Leliana one late night while visiting the privy, unused linens and cottons clutched in her left hand as she bit the thumb nail of her right. She had had her suspicions for a while now, nearly a month or so. She hadn't expressed this concern with Theron, remembering what he'd told her during the time of the Blight. Due to him being a Grey Warden, Theron creating offspring was impossible, or so Alistair said. When the roots of the situation began to grow, Leliana merely cast them aside, presuming that missing her Cycle was due to some injury she's suffered during the final Battle.

Now, however, she was sure.

As she stood, she looked down at her stomach, wondering how in all of Thedas Theron hadn't noticed the small bump that was forming on her belly. It was understandable, she supposed, as during the past month, he had been spending most of his time with Alistair.

She found her way blindly back to their room, only a few candles giving her a path. Worry filled her as she came closer to their bedroom, the biting of her nails growing frequent as she neared the door. She _needed_ to tell him what she'd found. How though, was another matter. She entered cautiously, and found him collapsed on their bed, an arm hanging over the side of the mattress. He had stripped himself of his large jacket and shirt, the rest of his armour sitting on a nearby chair, as were his sword and daggers.

Smiling, she approached the bed, placing a hand on his shoulder. He opened a single eye and peered up at her, returning her smile when she began to draw soothing patterns on his back. She began using two hands, one on his firm shoulders, the other tending to the knots in his lower back. This had become a nightly ritual for them. First, she would relax him, then he would return the favour, his hands coming over her shoulders, back, arse and legs.

Tonight she knew would turn out differently. She had to tell him, and _tonight._ If, that is, she could work up the nerve to say anything. Sighing, she kissed his shoulder. "Stressful day?" she asked, coming to sit on his backside.

"Very," Theron chuckled in response. "Alistair's trying to meet with Divine Beatrix, to try and loosen the Templar's hold on the Circles. I've tried telling him that there's no point. Still, he refuses to listen. Honestly, I think becoming King has made his head even bigger than before," he joked.

Leliana hummed in reply, continuing her work on his back as she smirked. Theron smiled again, before turning onto his back, his short hair falling into his eyes. He brought his lover to sit on his stomach, his hands stroking her hips gently as he stared up at her. "The good news is that soon, I won't be needed, and we can get back on the road again." Grinning, he leaned up on his elbows, causing the red head above him to slid down and settle into his lap. She brought her arms around his shoulders, biting her lip as he came up to kiss her neck.

She moaned quietly as she gripped his hair, sighing into his ear. _'Of course he'd want to do this_ _ **now**_ _of all times...'_ "Ma chérie... I need to tell you something..." she whispered breathlessly.

"It can wait," he told her, grabbing her carefully around the waist and settling her below him as he turned toward the covers. He returned to assault her neck, and felt her jaw tense. Slowly, two warm, petite hands came to rest on his shoulders and pushed him away from her. He frowned, looking down at her curiously, and he hated to admit it, but a little hurt. Seeing the anxious look in her eyes, however, made these emotion turn into worry. "Leliana? What's wrong?"

There was a deep silence between the two lovers, tears of happiness and fretting erupting in Leliana's eyes as she looked up at him. He leaned up on her elbows and placed her hand over his. "I've missed two of my menstrual cycles, Theron," she explained quietly. Taking his hand, she placed it over the small bump that began to emerge on her stomach. "Mon amour... I am with child."

 **A.N: Soooooo... Good? Bad? Let me know in a review :D**

 **This isn't going to be a one shot, but a full story of roughly 8-10 chapters.**


	2. Chapter 2

As Leliana paced around her small but sufficient work tent, she looked down to her hands at a report that one of her many agents had given in to her. She analysed it soundly, taking in every word of news that had been given to her. This had become a daily ritual since she and Cassandra had declared the Inquisition reborn, and even though she sometimes tired of it, she knew that no one else could do the job.

Each day, she awaited a single, delicately written letter; One that she knew she was foolish to think she would receive. Still, she held on hope that one of her messenger hawks would swoop down to her, carrying a letter from her lost lover.

Sighing, she put aside the report, no longer concentrating on its contents. She walked near the entrance of her tent, and looked toward a small scene; Varric teaching a young boy how to shoot an arrow. She smiled thinly, watching as the boy fired and missed his target. He had been having lessons from the patient Dwarf for a few days now, Varric claiming that the boy was big enough to wield a weapon. At first, Leliana was against the idea, but relented when she saw the boy pulling at her own bow, reminding her of how much he looked like his father.

Had anyone asked her if she saw herself as a mother before coming to Fereldan, she would have laughed immediately and brushed them off, claiming that she loved her life-style- The Game- too much to let it be disrupted by her child-bearing. Even Marjolaine had told her she wouldn't suit motherhood, that she was too ruthless to provide any safety or love for any off-spring. If someone would ask her now, however, she would say that she could imagine her life any other way.

Fingering her wedding ring as she watched, Leliana smiled proudly as her son pulled back the bow string to his cheek, his posture firm and steady, before he released the string, the arrow flying through the air and hitting his target. His reaction was ecstatic, a grin immediately growing on his face when the arrow hit the length of wood he was aiming for. He turned toward the tent, his green eyes catching hers as he smiled gleefully. She gave him a wide smile, and he looked back at Varric, who tapped the boy on the back.

"Nice shooting, Tamale!" Varric praised him, walking to the wood and yanking the arrow that was dislodged in the oak. "See? I told you you could do it! Just a little more practise and you'll end up just like our Spymaster." He walked back to the trainee, handing him the arrow. "Although, hopefully you won't take after her too much in temper. You know how she can be," he said, handing the boy the arrow. "Ahh... don't tell her I said that."

Tamale chuckled, knocking the arrow against his bow again. "Don't worry, I won't," he smiled across at the Dwarf before looking intently at his next target.

Leliana smiled at the little scene, her grin falling when she noticed the chain of her son's necklace when he pulled his arm back. She recalled with great sadness and a heavy heart when he received that pendant.

 _It had been three years ago, and it was a hot, sunny day in Val Royeaux. Both she and Tamale were sitting on a bench near the gates of the city, her arms around his small, six year old shoulders. As he looked down at the ground, he sniffled every moment or so, though tears were not falling from his eyes. She squeezed his shoulder comfortingly, holding him tighter to her as she kept her gaze on their home, waiting for her husband to appear from the doorway, dressed in his travel gear and a backpack slung over his shoulder._

 _This was a difficult day for the three of them, but they had all known for a while it was coming. Ever since Theron had gone after Morrigan, Leliana had known something had drastically changed in her Warden. He was... 'enveloped' in the book the witch had left for him, claiming that the secrets within could cure him and Alistair from the Taint. After years of studying the book, he had decided to go far toward the West, to find something Morrigan had listed in the old, worn book._

 _She lifted her head back toward the door at the sound of its opening, her heart leaping to her throat when she saw him. She didn't want him to go. She never wanted him to leave, but she knew it wasn't a selfish act, him leaving to find the cure. He was doing it for himself, his friend and ally, and his family. No matter how much she wished to plead with him to stay with her and their son, she knew he was doing this to be with them longer, to give him more time to spend with his loved ones._

 _Explaining this to their son, however, was not so easy._

 _Tamale had quickly drawn himself to tears at his father's words, hearing that he had no idea when he and his father would meet again. Leliana had never seen a bond so strong between father and child. Working for Divine Justinia had caused her to be away from home far too often, leaving Tamale in the care of his father. Through her absence, their bond had grown, and Tamale idolised him. Hearing that he had to leave was as difficult for the boy as much as it was for her._

 _The Warden carried himself over to them slowly, people greeting him as he passed. There was an awkward silence when he stopped in front of them, Theron waved his hand through his hair as he thought desperately for something to say to his family. But already, Tamale had resolved, letting the tears fall down his cheeks as he began to sob. Theron smiled gently before kneeling on his knees in front of the young boy, bringing his hand under his head to lift his face up. "Chin up, little hunter," he had said, using his thumb to wipe away any tears. "I'll write as often as I can, okay? I'll be back soon." Before standing, he lifted his hand and searched his pocket. His hand retreated from the furry tomb, revealing his Dalish Pendant; The Amulet his clan had given him as a child. He clasped the pendant around Tamale's neck, letting it rest on his fine, elaborate clothing. "Keep this safe for me? I don't trust myself not to lose it." He smiled, ruffling his son's hair as Tamale began to grin slightly, looking down at the wooden pendant._

 _He rose to look at his wife, who had risen to her feet as well. They said no words of exchange, only engulfing each other in a firm hug as Theron kissed her hair, with a quiet promise that he would return to her, free of the Taint. He bent down to embrace his son, telling him in a low whisper to 'look after his mother'._

 _He had left them then, walking through the gates of Val Royeaux, his next stop was to the stables, where he would pick himself a fine horse, and leave for the West._

That had been three years ago. For weeks after his father's departure, Tamale said little to anyone who talked to him, even to Leliana. For the first few days, the Left Hand of Justinia had thrown herself into her work in an attempt to dull the aching loneliness that settled into her heart. After seeing the result that had on Tamale, however, she quickly withdrew from her workings, explaining to Justinia her need to spend time with her son.

As promised, Theron wrote as often as he could. He sent back his findings, and little gems that Tamale had taken an interest in, but the farther he went into the West, the fewer his letters had been. In his last mesage home, Theron had explained he would no longer be able to write, at least for a time. This had left both her and Tamale saddened, knowing that they wouldn't be hearing from him, worry washing over Leliana as she would have no idea of his safety. The last letter they had received was a little over a year ago, but even then he left the exact location of where he was travelling to a secret, not wanting to be followed.

Tamale had never taken that Amulet off. He claimed that wearing the jewelled pendant made him feel closer to his father, and he cherished it every moment since Theron had departed.

Leliana remembered, that as she came into their room in Haven one late night, her heart tugged at the sight that greeted her; her son laid up in her bed, his little pendant clenched tightly in his fist as the boy held a frightfully pained expression as he slept. The more time went on, the more often Leliana was met with this sight when her work for the day was done. Tamale had often awoken during the night, his sudden heavy breathing and rustling of the covers awaking Leliana from her sleep. He would then often tell his mother of his dreams; Dreams of where his father was, who he was with and what he was doing. Leliana had tried to tell him it was his mind playing tricks on him, that 'the dreamland show us many things we wish to see'. Nevertheless, Tamale remained stubborn as an ox, refusing to believe that what he saw at night were figments of his imagination.

And his dreams, these supposed figments of his imagination, these phantoms which were meant to cause no harm, were not so meaningless after all.

Mere days after Varric had given the young boy an archery training session, Tamale had began acting strangely. He was... _edgy_ around people, keeping to himself most of the time and spending most of the day in the corner of Josephine's Office with a book, staring at the pages endlessly for hours on end. Josephine was the first the notice the boy's strange behaviour, and reported the matter to Leliana.

The Spymaster confronted her son gently one night before he resigned to his bedroom, asking what had had him in such a daze. He gave her a worrying look, and looked down to the floor. Leliana knelt in front of him calmly and placed her hands on his shoulders. "You know you can tell me anything, oui?" she asked, giving him a smile. "What's bothering you?"

Tamale raised his eyes to his mother's then, biting his lower lip nervously before letting out a shaky breath. "Mamae..." he began, looking back down to the ground. "When the Inquisitor comes back from Redcliffe with the Mages, something _very_ bad is going to happen."


	3. Chapter 3

And true to Tamale's word, something bad did happen.

Ellana Lavellan had returned with the Redcliffe Mages a week later, claiming to the rest of her Council that she had offered them sanctuary within Haven. Or as much as she could give, anyhow. Cullen had gone against the idea, naturally, but Leliana on the other hand had appreciated what the Elf did greatly.

This was, however, when Tamale began claiming to his mother that they needed to leave the small, little village of Haven. He had pleaded, **_begged_** her to believe him, had told her that if they didn't leave now, many people would die that night. Nevertheless, Leliana had calmly told the boy that these visions were just his imagination, with its ghouls and phantoms just trying to frighten him. She squeezed his shoulder comfortingly, and told him to go and play with the other children whilst others in the village began to plan for a party of victory. Tamale gave her a look of betrayal, and muttered, "The sky is going to open again, Mamae, because of _him_."

Leliana sighed, and scolded. "That's enough, Tamale," she said firmly. "Go on now, run along."

With slunk shoulders, he moved from her side, and walked down the Chantry's stone steps. In a sad way, it reminded Leliana very much of how she was, when her Brothers and Sisters of the Lothering Chantry had rejected her because of her 'vision' from the Maker. Shaking her head, she returned to Josephine's Office, the Antivan woman ecstatic and hurriedly planning a small party for the villages inhabitants.

* * *

 _Dancing_.

All Leliana could see from where she was sat were people up on their feet and finding a dancing partner, mugs of ale in their hands as they twisted and twirled around each other. Even though she were not part of this happy activity, she took great pleasure in watching the people skip around her in glee. Many children were playing a part in celebrating, making small daisy chains for the villagers to wear. One who was not part of this head-wear crafting, however, was Tamale.

Leliana noticed her son not too long after the party started, as he made no secret in clambering up the Tavern roof. He was perched upon the wooden structure, his back to her and his eyes scanning the mountains that protected the village. He was sat there for an entire hour, listening to people singing and dancing while he kept watch over the village.

Even through his recently strange and slightly disturbing behaviour, she couldn't help but notice how much he'd grown in the past year. How quickly he'd actually _grown_ , in fact. Many people had told the former Bard during her pregnancy to never let her eyes stray from her and Theron's little creation, one woman claiming that babies only stay that was for five seconds before they're up and toddling around on their own two feet. Leliana... _suspected_ that the woman was exaggerating a little bit, but smiled nonetheless, as she couldn't help but see the truth in her words.

* * *

 _At first, Leliana was coping quite well with the thought that she was with child. She began calming down and staying inside a lot more, sad that she and Theron couldn't continue their travels, but happy none the less to be given a break. She had written to Dorethea of her pregnancy, and received one back of congratulations. The people of Fereldan were gleeful at the news that their Hero was expecting a baby, and Denerim had thrown yet_ ** _another_** _party of celebration, as if the say the victory party for ending the Blight wasn't good enough._

 _Theron himself was happy when Leliana had given him the news, nervous albeit, but happy none the less. He wanted to be there, to do a better job than his own parents did with him. He offered himself to Leliana as her own person attendant, claiming he would do whatever she needed him to do._

 _Though she was quite content with having everything done for her during her nine months of baby carrying at first, after a few months she began to tire of it-_ ** _greatly_** _._

 _After three months, Leliana was getting restless. She began to hate not being able to leave the Castle walls which surrounded her, not being able to travel around the country, or even perform in the blasted local Tavern, for Maker's sake! And quickly, the words 'Do you need anything, ma vhenan?' made her grit her teeth in frustration and glare at her lover in annoyance, hoping that it was enough to make him understand that no, she_ ** _did not_** _need anything else. She_ ** _did not_** _need anything to eat, to take a rest, to have a bath-_ ** _nothing_** _. She felt uncomfortable about not being able to do anything for herself. This... dependency was foreign to her, and she hated every second of it. Why was she not allowed to do anything for herself? Just because she was pregnant didn't mean she was helpless._

 _Much of the frustration went away however, when one night after slipping into bed, she placed a hand on her rounded belly, and felt a sharp nudge under her palm. She woke Theron up hastily then, calling out that their child was kicking against her stomach._ _Wherever they touched on the outside, their baby was kicking from the inside._

 _This, again, eventually caused Leliana frustration, as once their little unborn child starting kicking, it wouldn't stop. And, to further annoy her, the baby usually awoke at night, when she lay in bed, desperate for sleep._

 _In the end, however, she knew that even though she disliked,_ ** _hated_** _the experience of pregnancy, and all the sleepless nights, aches and pains it had given her, it was all completely worth it in the end._

* * *

 _She had awoken suddenly during the night, clutching her swollen stomach as she grunted in discomfort. She gasped quickly under her breath as another wave of pain enveloped her. She threw her arm to her left and landed it heavily where Theron was sleeping soundly, waking him immediately. "Theron, the baby's coming!"_

 _The rest of the birthing process passed in a hazy blur. All that Leliana could truly remember was the pain, pushing, and the noise as people attempted to tell Theron that the midwife had gone home for the night. After rushing out quickly that he had lived in a Dalish Clan for all of his life, Theron claimed that he knew how to deliver a child, after doing to for many of the women of his Clan._

 _A few hours later, the pushing had started, and oh Maker, was that a painful experience for the Bard. Every thirty seconds or so, Theron would give the woman heavy instruction to push outward, and continued to do so until there was a tiny cry that ran throughout the castle halls._

 _It was strange for Leliana, to say the least. One moment, the pain was_ ** _there_** _, and it hurt immensely, and the next it was just gone, leaving her exhausted and collapsed in the bed. She vaguely heard the cries of her new born, as well as Theron telling her that she had birthed a baby boy._

 _She felt a hand on her cheek a little while later, and opened her eyes to see Theron looking down to her, a bundle of towels lodged securely in his arms. He sat down on the bed next to her legs and urged her to sit up. She smiled despite herself when their child had been transferred into her arms and Theron had taken his place beside her, the both of them looking down to what they had made. Together, they noted little things about the baby, how his ears were rounded like his mother's, his eyes green and piercing like his father's, and how all the tiny characteristics of the babe in her arms reflected them as he fed from her._

* * *

Leliana was pulled from her thoughts as she watched her boy upon the rooftop. She heard someone clear their throat behind her, and she turned to see the Grand Enchanter Fiona looked over at her. She smiled and took her place beside the red-head. "Today was a marvellous victory," the Mage commented.

Leliana nodded her head in agreement and returned the woman's smile, looking back over the people. "I would have thought you'd be celebrating with everyone else," she said, rubbing her hands together and moving toward the lit fire in front of them.

"No," the Enchanter chuckled. "I'm too old for that now, my dear. Anyhow, I've been too busy watching your son," she admitted.

Leliana turned to her again, watching her closely as the woman turned her gaze to Tamale. "In all my years serving as a Circle Mage, I have met many children who harbour the gift of magic," Fiona started. "They have a certain... _aura_ about them, a particular feel that tells trained Enchanters, such as myself, that the ability of magic sleeps within them, untouched and sleeping." Fiona gestured toward Tamale and looked back to Leliana. "That aura, Lady Leliana, is one that surrounds your-"

Before the Grand Enchanter could finish, there was an unsettling scream that ran throughout the village. "Mamae!" Tamale shouted, now standing upon the wooden structure. When he caught her eye, he turned and pointed toward the snowy mountain, revealing dozens of red and orange flames that were quickly marching their way toward Haven.

* * *

If there were any word that could describe Leliana, it would be tired.

As she and the remaining members of the Inquisition crawled up the white, cold mountain, all sombre and exhausted from their days of travelling, she noted the aching dullness in here legs, something she was quite unfamiliar with now, being as she spent most of her time in her work tent, looking over papers and speaking with her agents.

Most of the Inquisition was behind her, members such as Josephine and Dorian helping those unable stagger up the hill. Turning so she was walking backwards, she cast her eyes over their numbers, realising in disdain how few people had survived the attack on Haven. _If only I had listened..._

Her gaze moved to the food carts, where her son was helping an elderly man pull a cart of vegetables up the mountain. Although she noticed him struggling, she smiled as Tamale pushed on, determined to make it up the last stretch of hill. Behind him were the groups of Mages, many carrying cups of warm soup as they travelled. Enchanter Fiona was amongst the group, watching Leliana closely before averting her gaze.

Leliana glared at the Grand Enchanter, their 'discussion' coming to mind as she continued her trek up the mountain once again.

 _Cassandra and Cullen had just come back from searching for the Inquisitor, the woman in question hanging loosely as the warrior and commander carried her. There were many gasps and murmurs throughout the little settlement, some people claiming that the Elven woman had been saved again by Andraste. The return of the Herald had fallen on Leliana's deaf ears as she sat huddled with Josephine and Tamale, the red-head consentrating far too much on her son's words to hear anything else._

 _Unknown to them, when everything had settled, another set of ears began to listen to Tamale's claims. He had told his mother and 'Auntie Josie' that he has seen Corypheus in his dreams, giving the Tevinter Magister the nickname 'Cory' as he couldn't pronounce his full name. Tamale had seen and felt his anger when Inquisitior Lavellan had taken the Mages away from him, watched as past events unfolded in front of his eyes, as Corypheus had attempted to enter the Maker's Kingdom. He also claimed hushly that 'the Dreaded Wolf walks again', and that he's 'closer than you think'._

 _Solas had been the first Leliana had called for, asking if he could give any light to what Tamale had seen. Solas and Tamale had held each other's gaze for a long few moments, as if having a mute conversation through their eyes._

 ** _That_** _was when the Grand Enchater had gratiously offered her view point. "It is obvious, is it not?" she said, walking into their conversation. "The boy is a Mage, a Dreamer." She turned to Tamale then, looking down on him, a smile gracing her lips as Leliana registered what Fiona had told her._

 _"I had my suspisions," Solas piped, looking to Leliana as she peered up at him questioningly. "Dreamers are Mages who are capable of entering the Fade without the need of Lyrium," he explained. "Talented Dreamers can shape the Fade to their will and let it display past events, as Tamale explained to you."_

 _"Dreamers are also very vulnerable to demonic possession whilst in the Fade," Fiona put in, switching her gaze to Leliana. "I tried to explain this to your before everything happened at Haven, but we were interrupted. Dreamers are..._ ** _extremely_** _rare, due to how often they are possessed. I would like you to put the boy in my care, in case anything were to go amiss."_

Leliana had reacted badly to the Enchanter's request. What right did she have to ask to take her son out of her care? The Spymaster knew what Fiona was asking, and it was just as bad as sending him off to the Circle Tower. They had continued in private then, Leliana hastily and harshly telling the Mage that she would _not_ allow her son to be taken under the wing of the leader of the Mage Rebellion. Although, later, Leliana realised she might have gone about speaking with the Grand Enchanter in a different way, her point still stood.

As Leliana continued to walk up the mountain, she shook her head and smiled, reminding herself that Tamale was actually a _Mage_. Never in her life would she have thought him such a thing. Her smile slowly turned into a frown in deep thought as she considered the dreams Tamale had described to her. Surely if his dreams of foresight were real... then what of those of Theron? Were her son's dreams of his father true as well?

Leliana was brought from her thoughts as she felt a tug on her right hand. She looked down to see Tamale grasping her gloved hand, extending to her his fist with the others. Clamped in the fist, however, is what made her smile greatly.

In his right hand, he held a single flower, the stem of which he was grasping, the white petals, the edges slightly brown, sprouting over his fist. He smiled up at her, gesturing her to take the flower. "I found it behind the Chantry," he told her, his green eyes watching intently. "Papa gave you some, remember?"

She took the flower in between her fingertips, twirling it as she recalled Theron approaching her, the very same flower being carried delicately in his hand, presenting it to her as if presenting a gift to a Queen. Of course, he had asked for a kiss afterwards, which made her blush at the memory.

She looked down at her son and gave him a wide smile, snacking her arm around his shoulder as they walked on together.

 _'Yes,'_ she thought. ' _His dreams are defiantly real.'_


	4. Chapter 4

The clip-clapping of footsteps was all that could be heard in the vacant halls of Skyhold Castle, aside from the hooting of owls and squawking of ravens. ' _Today has been... too long...'_ the flame-haired Spymaster thought as she walked through the empty corridor that led to her and her son's room.

The Inquisition had arrived at the Fortress of Skyhold earlier that day, everyone tired and exhausted from their days of continuous walking and sleeping in the cold. But then, that morning, when she and her son had seen Ellana stop dead in her tracks at the top of the steep, snowy hill, hope filled Leliana as she knew that they had finally reached their destination. She smiled as Tamale began to run ahead up the mountain, watching as a spark of happiness shone through his recently sombre mood.

It was within that very same hour that the Inquisition had truly begun.

Leliana felt a smile grip her lips as she continued her trek through the Castle walls, getting closer and closer to her destination. Whilst she and the rest of the War Council began making plans for the refurbishment of the inner buildings, Tamale had wondered through the gardens with Cole. Leliana quickly realised that there was much more to the frosty-haired young man that met the eye.

By the time her son had returned, Leliana had chosen a suitable room for them and had picked one of the highest towers to be her workplace, ordering her people to carry the birds up to the Rookery.

Eventually, Leliana came to their room, grasping the small handle silently in hopes to not wake Tamale. All in vain, she quickly found.

When Leliana entered the warm room, she was surprised to see her son laying awake in his bed. He lay on his back, dressed in his night clothes as he fingered the Amulet that hung around his neck. His thumb traced the varnished Halla that adorned the wood, the colour of dried tears visible on his face.

Leliana didn't need to ask to know what was troubling Tamale. This had been happening more and more frequently. She would retire to her bedchambers after a full day's worth of planning, speaking privately with her agents and keeping a watchful eye on her son, to find him laying fully awake in bed, either holding the precious Amulet in his tiny fingers, or sobbing silently into his pillow as he fisted the pendant in his hand. And every time, her heart ached at the sight.

* * *

 _The first time she'd witnessed her sons grief was a few days after her beloved Theron had left in search of a cure for the Blight. She had thrown herself into her work, refusing to wallow in self pity that her husband had left. Her responsibilities had been her outlet, an attempt to put aside the sudden loneliness that had rushed its way into her life. She became so concentrated on every job that she convinced herself there was no time to cry._

 _She spent so much of her time making sure that she was alright, that she completely disregarded how Tamale was coping. Until, that is, she came back to Val Royeaux after a few days away on a mission._

 _She had been too tired to inform Justinia that she had returned. Just as well, as the Divine had likely returned to her own chambers anyway. She crept silently through the halls to her room, which was right beside Tamale's. Smiling sadly, she passed her sons room, coming in front of her door to find that, strangely, the door had been left ajar, a glimmer of light peering through the gap. Frowning, Leliana slid her fingers through the gap and pushed, the door swinging open with a small 'creek'. The sight that had greeted her had nearly reduced the Left Hand to tears._

 _Tamale lay in the middle of her bed, his face in between the pillows that held her honeycomb-scent. In his hand he held his father's Dalish pendant, his fist shacking as his body writhed with violent sobs._

 _Guilt plagued Leliana then as she watched her son try to take comfort in her bed. The realisation of how selfish she'd been had caused her to bite her lip in order to stop herself from weeping. Taking the backpack from her shoulder, she dropped it on the floor next to her desk, and rushed to her bed. She set herself on the edge, placing one hand on Tamale's shoulder whilst the other ran through his hair. The young boy lifted his head from the pillows, allowing his blood shot eyes to look up at her. He sniffled, then threw his arms around her stomach as the pendant lay forgotten on his chest._

 _It was then that Leliana vowed to herself that she would speak with Justinia in the morning, and request that she leave her duties for a while in order to spend time with her son._

* * *

Sighing, Leliana lowered the hood that covered her head, running her hand through the red locks as she shut the door behind her. She placed the papers she had been carrying on the small table that was to substitute as a work desk, and made her way to the bed. She sat on the edge looking down at her son, then calmly placed her hand on his cheek, giving his cheek-bone a rub with her thumb. His eyes stayed planted on the Amulet as he looked at the Halla.

Eventually, he gave a sigh as he let the wooden pendant fall to the bed next to his neck. He sniffled, clearing his nose before looking up at his mother. She gave him as much of a smile as she could, removing her hand to take off her boots. "Did you like the gardens?" she asked as she undid the lace and straps that held the boot in place.

Tamale nodded as he rubbed his eye. "They're quieter than the rest of the Castle," he commented. "One of the vegetable men said that he could start growing things to eat there." His talking soon turned to rambling, Leliana listening as she placed her boots aside. There was silent for a short moment, before Tamale's voice, more hushed than before, began again. "Mamae, I had another dream."

This caught Leliana's attention. She sat back more on the bed again, laying her inter-twined hands on her lap. "About what?" she asked, looking down at him again.

Tamale shuffled on the bed, making it so he was laying on his side and leaning up on his elbow. He looked at his hand as he traced shapes on his palm. "Papa," he replied quietly. Although tears were not evident in his eyes, there was a small crack in his voice as he sniffled again. He looked back up at his mother as she began to flatten out his messy hair. "He's really close, Mamae. Papa knows what to do, and where to go... it's just... he's _so_ far, far away..."

Leliana felt tears sting at her eyes as she placed her hands on his shoulders. She scooted closer to him, bringing him into her arms as he rested his head on her shoulder. He sniffled again as he began to bite his thumb nail. "I miss him, Mamae," he said in a murmur as he wiped his cheek on her clothing.

"I know, Tamale," Leliana replied into her son's hair. "I do, too. But he'll be back soon." She pulled away briefly to smile down at him, which widened when he smiled back.


	5. Chapter 5

The hot sun continuously kept beating down on the castle of Skyhold, causing the inhabitants of the once ruined fort to feel drowsy. Many people were sitting under the trees for shade, others going inside to seek cooling shelter from the blazing sun. A few individuals sat outside gladly in the warm weather, reading a book or sketching part of the castle to occupy their time and make good use of the pleasant climate.

Several months had passed since the official rebirth of the Inquisition, and the progress the organisation had made since then was truly outstanding. The inner buildings were all refurbished, and rebuilt when necessary, giving the people a large and stable environment to live in. The War Council could strategize in peace, plan quickly and train their soldiers.

When they arrived at the stronghold, the first plan of action was to regain the Inquisition's forces, most of which were lost during the attack on Haven. Everyday since their arrival, more and more people would turn up outside the Castle doors, chattering in glee that their 'pilgrimage' had finally come to an end. People from all over Fereldan had come to them for help and shelter - soldiers, farmers, cooks - everyone that was needed to get their numbers growing again. And needless to say, they were doing so marvellously.

This day however, Leliana didn't feel much like celebrating their progress.

It had been a week since the incident in Halamshiral, where they had saved Celene and brought Florianne to justice. Many of Skyhold's people saw this as a great victory for the Inquisition, and as did Leliana for a day or so- _until_ she heard that... that _she_ would be coming to stay at the castle, to help in the fight against Corypheus.

Even before they received the invitation from Gaspard, Leliana had known who the Empress had as her Arcane Advisor. In the War Council's meetings, she would often avoid talking about the Winter Palace Ball in an attempt to rid her mind of the woman who had saved her lover's life. During their time at Halamshiral, Leliana had even seen the woman a handful of times, and one time their eyes had met, before the witch nodded and walked away.

So naturally, once they had returned to Skyhold, Leliana had rushed to her place in the Rookery and she _stayed there_ , too nervous that she would run into her previous travelling companion. Or more so, her previous travelling companion's child. The witch's son.

 _Theron's_ son...

The thought sent an icy shiver down the Spymaster's back, and caused her to completely lose focus on the report in front of her. She sighed in defeat and stood from her seat, stretching her legs as she rose. She moved to the window, looking down at the castle grounds beneath her, her eyes searching for her son. Inevitably, she found him running in the gardens, another young boy hot on his trail, his right arm outstretched as if to grab the shorter boy. Leliana recognised the game as Tag, and watched on as they continued their game. Both were laughing as they ran, Tamale looking back over his shoulder as he turned sharply, his father's agile allowing him to run under his pursuer's arm quickly as the chaser stopped dead in his tracks, then turned to give chase again.

This had become a norm for the two boys; playing together, chatting together, even exploring unknown rooms together. Leliana was cautious at first when Tamale had settled into bed one night and had told her of his adventures of the day, the main one being meeting his new friend Kieran, who Leliana knew instantly was the Witch's son. She was cautious because of what the boy was - or more so what had happened shortly after his conception. More than once Leliana had thought of telling her concerns to Ellana, or Josephine maybe. But once she had seen the boy from her window, playing happily with her son, she pushed the thought away. She hadn't seen Tamale nearly as happy as he was with Kieran for a long time. The last thing the mother-in-her wanted to do was destroy his happiness by forbidding Tamale to talk to his new friend.

Another reason she couldn't tell of her concerns was that she was _grateful_ to the boy. If it hadn't been for his conception, she would have lost Theron to the Archdemon. It allowed her and Theron to have a child of their own, to marry. It allowed Theron to go in search of a cure for the taint. She could _never_ hate Kieran for giving her all that, despite who his mother was.

The boys tumbling to the ground had brought her out of her thoughts.

Eventually, Kieran had caught up to Tamale, grabbing his shoulder and passing the 'chaser role' over to him. Kieran had sped forward, only to fall to the ground when Tamale had launched himself at the taller boy's back, sending them both to the floor in a heap. They both turned to look at each other, then laughed as they began to stand. Leliana smiled at the display, before her attention was brought else where, her smile disappearing quickly.

Her gaze was stolen away from the two boys, to a dark haired woman who was shaking her head in amusement. Her dark locks swayed in front of her golden eyes as she shook her head, a smirk playing on her lips as she watched the boys. Her clothing was different from when Leliana saw her in Halamshiral. In fact, they were the exact same clothes that the witch wore during her time fighting in the Fifth Blight. Leliana could also see that child-birth hadn't taken its toll on her body as she looked as fit and healthy as she had before she had disappeared ten years ago.

Before she could look away from the woman who had plagued her mind with worry all those years ago, the witch shifted her gaze from the children on the ground and looked up at the Bard, her smile somewhat lessening when their eyes met. The dark haired woman gave a tight smile, which Leliana forced herself to return. She couldn't quite place it, but something was... _off_ about the apostate. True, Leliana hadn't even spoken to her, but there was something in her appearance - in her _eyes_ \- that had changed. They were missing something.

Before Leliana could elaborate further on what was missing, she began to walk towards the stairs that led to the castle's gardens. She didn't know why, but she had to meet with the dark haired mage again.

* * *

Stopping under the archway which blocked her view of the gardens, Leliana took a deep breath. A small part of her was telling her to back away, that it wasn't too late to run back to the Rookery and attempt to finish looking over at the reports. She shook her head, taking another breath before stepping forward. The first thing that she noticed was the way the sun beat down onto her cowl, making her scratch her hair underneath in irritation. She made a quick note to stay in the garden's stone hallway, to avoid any further discomfort.

Tamale and Kieran were taking a break from their game, and instead they were observing the flowers that were growing up the pillar of the gazebo. Not too far away, the witch was stood under a tree, seeking shade like many other inhabitants of the Castle. Leliana noticed how the woman wasn't watching the boys anymore, but rather looking over to the Bard.

Moving from her place under the tree, the apostate began to walk toward the Spymaster, smiling at her son as he looked up at her. In that instant, Leliana knew what was missing from the witch. Her _cruelness_. Her _arrogance_. Both were gone; all the sharp edges had been sanded down. Leliana glanced back at Kieran and smirked. _'Becoming a mother has defiantly done that woman good,'_ she thought.

Soon enough, the witch came to stand beside Leliana and leaned on the stone wall as she turned back to the young boys. There was a silent pause as the two women stood, before the witch ended it with a chuckle. "Your boy looks very much like his father," she commented. She looked over to Leliana, a small smile prying at her lips.

Leliana hummed in agreement as she nibbled at her thumb nail, watching as the two emerged from the grass. "He always has," she replied. Leliana shook her head, wondering if what she was about to say next was something she really out to tell the witch. She let out a breath before turning to the witch. "Thank you, Morrigan," she said sincerely. "If you hasn't proposed that... if you hadn't _offered,_ I would have lost him. I would have never had Tamale. I... thank you."

Morrigan's smile had disappeared as she listened, and she looked over to the Spymaster again. "Do not think that what I did was completely out of charity," she replied. "T'was more for myself than for him."

"Even if it was for selfish reasons, I cannot be ungrateful for my family," Leliana insisted. "As I'm sure you cannot be ungrateful for Kieran, no?"

Morrigan gave a light chuckle before looking out to her son. "I suppose," she replied. There was another silence as the two women went to their own thoughts, Leliana watching as Tamale and Kieran began their game of tag again. "Kieran and I have been here for nearly a week, and I have noticed that Theron seems to not be present," the witch commented.

Leliana nodded, her eyes growing sombre. "He and Alistair were able to find the locations hidden in the book you gave him. He left Fereldan a few years ago to follow a lead in the West. I haven't heard from him in a long time. Both women could tell the atmosphere had changed at Leliana's words, however, Morrigan's curiosity was far from sated for them to stop their talk.

"I would have thought he'd have returned by now," she said idly. "I went to Fereldan, but-"

"You've tried to find him?" Leliana questioned.

Morrigan nodded. "Many years ago, when Kieran was still an infant. He knows that his father was a good man, but I had hoped they would meet, if only once. I was hoping Theron would be _here_ , but..."

Leliana managed a smile. Thinking back to all those years ago, the Bard remembered Morrigan promising that they would never see her again, that after the Archdemon was defeated, she would leave the world and not return. Looking to her now, Leliana could see that the witch had grown considerably since they last met. Morrigan was willing to put Kieran before herself, believing that her child had a right to know who his father was, and even more, meet him. The Morrigan she once knew would have never allowed that to happen. "He's changed you," Leliana told her.

In that spilt second, Leliana saw a glimpse of the old Morrigan. "Don't be _absurd_ ," she spat.

Their eyes were taken from each other when the boys had, once again, tumbled over each other as they ran around the garden. Leliana smiled in wonder before turning to Morrigan again. "Do you think we should tell them that they are half-brothers?" Leliana asked the witch.

Morrigan looked toward the boys again, considering what good could come from them knowing about their origins. Eventually, she shook her head. "No," she said. "T'would be far kinder in the end that they didn't know."


	6. Chapter 6

Throughout the hours that the Inquisitor had been away, everyone had been acting differently.

Leliana stayed in the war room, waiting for any reports that needed her attention. Josephine sat anxiously at her desk biting at her thumb nail, occasionally striking away any tears that fell from her gentle eyes. Cullen was with his soldiers for most of the time, quietly overseeing their hard work and training. Even if they were doing something wrong, he was too in amongst his own thoughts to notice.

The only one to look even slightly happy, albiet worried, was Tamale. From the moment he woke up to the time he spend with Kieran, he had a hidden smile tracing on his lips that only Leliana was able to tell was there. Something had definitely lifted his spirits, the Spymaster noted. She only wished that she shared his enthusiasm. The past few months were trying, at best.

The only thing that truly lifted Leliana's own spirits was the arrival of Theron's letter when she had given the Inquisition means to contact him. At the back of her mind, she believed that it wouldn't work. She and Tamale hadn't heard from him in such a long time that she doubted he would receive their letter. When the messenger raven she had sent away had come back, proudly perched on her desk with a different sheet of parchment than she had sent it away with, she felt a wave of emotions course through her.

Relief; she _needed_ to know that he was still out there somewhere, fighting to be with his family.

Worry; he was still out there. He hadn't yet found the cure to the Blight. She didn't know how long he had, but the more time he spent out there looking for the cure, the less time he had, even if Tamale had predicted that he was close to his goals.

But more than anything, she felt lonely. She wanted her husband back there with her to dull the aching loneliness that had settled in her heart for all those _long_ years. She missed him, and wanted him back home with her.

The door opening brought the Spymaster away from her thoughts. Josephine entered the room, and Leliana shook her head when she noticed that Josie was trying too hard to look composed. Her back was too stiff and her lips were in a straight thin line which screamed anything but 'Josie'. The Ambassador walked to her side of the table, lifting up a stray report that had been left there the night before, her eyes wandering tiredly over the scribbled words.

Sighing, Leliana put down her own report and silently made her way over to the Antivan's side. She placed a hand on Josephine's shoulder and gave a light squeeze. "C'mon, Josie," Leliana said, trying to sound as encouraging as possible. "She'll be fine. If she tamed that dragon, I have confidence in her abilities to fight Corypheus." Josephine let out a breath and merely nodded before turning to her friend and coming into an embrace. There were no tears, no small whimpers, not even a small judder of Josephine's back. Leliana just held the woman closely as she ran her hand up and down her back in a warm and comforting fashion.

The door opened once again, bringing the two women to part as Josephine pushed a few strands of hair behind her ear before turning to face who was intruding in on the War Room. The colours of Leliana's agents greeted them, and the young woman faced her Mistress. "Report from Scout Harding, Sister Nightingale," the young woman addressed the Spymaster. "Came by Hawk a few minutes ago." She handed the report into Leliana, then saluted before she took her leave after she was dismissed. The young agent walked through the door, Cullen's red and panting face greeting her as she passed. He looked down at the tightly wound scroll in the Spymaster's hands as he fought to catch his breath.

Leliana looked to Josephine, whose eyes never part from the parchment. Her face was a mixture of hope and fear as the moments went on. "Do you want to open it?" Leliana offered.

Josephine immediatly shook her head, her thumb nail coming back between her teeth as she waited for someone to open the report. She couldn't be the one to open it. If it was bad news, Josephine didn't want to be the one who found out first. Taking a breath, Leliana undid the tie keeping the scroll wound up. She spread the parchment out so she could see its contents, quietly reading as the two sets of eyes stared at her in waiting. The atmosphere of the room was truly suffocating.

When Leliana finished the report, a smile graced her lips as she turned once again to Josephine, holding out the report to her with an encouraging nod and a smile. The Ambassador took the parchment hastily and quickly began reading. Once she finished, she placed the report on the War Table as she leaned back on the wooden desk with a growing smile of relief.

They'd _won,_

The Breach was _closed,_

Corypheus was _defeated,_

And Inquisitor Ellana was _alive._

* * *

As Leliana glanced around the main hall of Skyhold, it reminded her of the great party held in Denerim after the Blight. People were dancing, drinking together in honour of the Inquisition's victory, and the storyteller was deciding history by explaining what happened during the fight with Corypheus. Varric, of course. He had insisted of being the one to tell the people of Skyhold what had happened during the final battle. As men and women had begun to surround him with questions of the battle, he muttered to Leliana with a smirk, " _If you want a story told right, you ask someone who helped make it happen. If that someone is me,"_ he chuckled. " _I'll make it awesome."_

Of course, there were slight differences from that wonderful night in Denermin. Including one Antivan Ambassador who worries too much.

" _Urgh,_ I should never have hired the caterers so late," Josephine chastised herself is distaste as she eyed the rushed food that lay of the dining tables.

Leliana shook her head as she listened to her dear friend complain to their leader, who herself had an amused smile. "Leave it be, Josie! Everything's fine!" she called to her from across the room. Josephine turned to face the Spymaster and pointed at the dishes. "It is not!" She looked back to the table once more with distain before turning back to the Inquisitor. "I'm so sorry, nothing is quite as it should be. Do you like the drinks? I'm not sure about them."

Ellana smiled as she took Josephine's hand. "The drinks are fine, Josephine," she said as she brought Josie's knuckled to her lips. "It's been a wonderful evening," she added as she held the woman's hand in both her own, making sure to lace their fingers as Josephine continued to fret.

Leliana smiled as she watched the two interact in such a way.

* * *

 _When she and Josephine had become close friends in Val Royeaux, she quickly began to see the younger woman as her little sister, not just a mere friend. And, like all big brothers and sisters, she felt the urge to chase away any young men or women that would attempt to woo her little sister and ultimately lead to her heartbreak when her suitor lost interest or found someone else to court. To give herself credit, Leliana thought she did a wonderful job._

 _Until she noticed that Josie and Ellana were… very **friendly** toward one another._

 _It started with subtle compliments over the War Table and during meal times; nothing harmful. Ellana noticing how lovely the Ambassador's hair was, or Josephine commenting on the elf's 'beautiful eyes'._ _T_ _hen it turned to Ellana giving the Ambassador little gifts, chocolates and treats and such, which lead to Josephine talking about the Elf non-stop all the time, worrying if the elf would be hurt on a mission away, all the business with the House of Repose (which was when Ellana refused to go out on missions until the problem with the Assassin was over with) - the list went on._

 _It didn't take long for Leliana to put two and two together._

 _Eventually, she had confronted the Inquisitor about these compliments and blatant affections towards the Inquisition's Ambassador. Leliana had challenged her intentions in hope that the elf would defend them. And as she had hoped, Ellana defended her affections towards Josephine, claiming that her attraction toward Josephine wasn't just skin deep. Leliana made sure that Ellana left the Rookery with the understanding that if word reached the Spymaster about her little sister being unkindly treated, the elf would disappear as soon as her usefulness vanished._

 _The next few days had been… interesting, at best._

 _During War Council meetings, Josephine would begin randomly humming, and when Ellana would glance up at her and smile, the Antivan would look down at her report in embarrassment and blush profusely. Whenever Leliana would pass by the diplomat's door, she would hear a lot more laughing or giggling than there used to be._ _A few times Leliana had even looked away from her work and down to the gardens. If Tamale and Kieran were not there, more often than not Ellana and Josie would be._

 _Even in little ways, they both did things to make the other know that they cared; Josephine would make sure a hot meal and bath was awaiting Ellana in her room whenever she returned from long missions away, the Elf would send little baskets of food up to Josephine's room whenever she didn't have time to eat, they started sleeping in the same bed to spend more time together (although Leliana didn't fully support this idea) - the list was endless._

 _As long as her sister, in all but blood, was happy, so was Leliana._

* * *

Another big difference to this night in Skyhold and to the night a decade ago in Denerim, was that her paramour was not present. True, whilst watching Elanna and Josephine's blossoming relationship was indeed sweet and endearing, it reminded the Spymaster too much of herself and Theron greatly at times. Every so often when watching them, Leliana would feel a tug in her chest as she looked down at her work once again and bite down hard into her lip in an attempt to keep the tears at bay. It was ridiculous how much she missed her Warden.

Sighing, she looked around again. As she glanced around the room at the food, the people and the doors leading toward different parts of the fortress, she noticed that Tamale was nowhere to be seen. Taking a final swig of her wine, she set off to find her son.

* * *

She eventually found him in the Rookery, in the fully-opened window which oversaw the entire Castle Grounds. Nestled next to him was his favourite messenger raven, whose feathers were being pampered by his small, gentle fingers. Tamale was gazing out to the slowly setting sun, that mysterious smile still set upon his lips. Leliana smirked, realising how much he looked like Theron in that moment. People had told her all the time that the boy looked like his father, but she rarely ever saw it.

Leliana walked toward Tamale until her shoulder was touching the back of his head. He looked up at her in greeting and gave her a toothy smile before looking back to the sun-set again, allowing his mother to run her fingers through his always-messy hair. "Happy?" she asked him, to which he nodded, his smile widening. "Good," she added, settling her hand on his shoulder. "It's nice to see you in such a pleasant mood."

Giving a silent laugh, he stopped his stroking of the raven and lifted his hand to grip his amulet. Tracing the Halla, he looked away from the sun-set and up to his mother again. "I had another dream about Papa," he replied, gripping the pendant more tightly as Leliana's heart began to race.

' _He's coming home.'_

 ** _A.N: Hey there guys :D hope you all enjoyed this chapter._**

 ** _I need to ask you lot your opinion. I have the ending of this story already written, it just needs to be cleaned up a bit, and I'm more than happy to leave it where it is. But if you guys want an epilogue, then let me know in a review or PM me! Your say is appreciated :D_**

 ** _Have a good one,_**

 ** _~RJay_**


	7. Chapter 7

_As soon as Tamale opened his eyes, he knew that he was in the Fade. The distinct textures of the walls around him were wispy and foggy, making it clear to the young boy that he was dreaming._

 _Usually when he was in the Fade, he ended up in places and times that had long since passed. Arlathan, Ostagar in its prime, decrepid temples in the Wilds; the destinations were endless. However, a quick glance around the white walls and finely made - and familiar - carpentry and pottery told him that this occasion was different._

 _Sighing in disappointment, he closed his eyes and looked down at the marble flooring. It had been months since his last dream of his father, and the waiting and **waiting** for another one was making the Tamale anxious._

 _'Where is he? He was supposed to be back by now.'_

 _'...I miss you...'_

 _ **He's abandoned you**_

 _ **The Blight took him**_

 _ **He's NEVER coming back for - **_

_Tamale shook his head in order to get rid of the upsetting thoughts that the Fade was trying to force on him._

 _Solas had warned him multiple times about the whispers, how to replace the saddening, dark thoughts with happier ones to keep the phantoms at bay. The young mage didn't need telling what would happen if he allowed the thoughts of Fade Demons to corrupt his own. He'd seen what happened enough times._ _He pushed the thoughts of his father away, thinking of more pleasant things before he began his exploration of where he was._

 _The first was of his mother, who worked effortlessly on her desk in the Rookery, but always found time for him._

 _Josephine, who would always treat Tamale to a cake or sweet whenever he sat down in her office with a book to read as she worked. 'It improves his literature, Leliana,' she would always say in his defence whenever his mother would go to the Ambassador and question the chocolate marks on his clothing._

 _Sera, who was always looking for a helping hand with her pranks._

 _Varric, who always took the time to give him a lesson in using a bow._

 _Cole, who would help him whenever he asked._

 _Ellana._

 _Dorian..._

 ** _Everyone._**

 _All those in the Inquisition were his family. In times of need, Tamale knew that his family would protect him._

 _Feeling the negative emotions of the Demons retreat, he opened his eyes once more and took in his surroundings._

 _He was in a large hallway, paintings and tapestries draping the many walls of the corridors. The background colour to the walls themselves were a shiny white, the many windows letting light stream in. It was daytime outside, as shown by the highness of the sun, the servants walking the corridors who failed to notice him, and also by the endless chatter of citizens out on the street._

 _As Tamale began to wonder aimlessly down the hallway, a smile quickly tugged at his lips as he realised where he was._

 _'The Grand Cathedral! I'm in Val Royeaux!' he thought as he began to run down the corridor as he had done so many times before back when he lived in Orlais. He passed by endless rooms, including his own and his mothers, however, he didn't stop to peer inside. He'd already seen them before._

 _Tamale began to stop running as he passed the Main Hall of the Cathedral, glancing inside to see the once-Divine hard away at paper-work._

 _Or... the **new** Divine?_

 _The Main Hall was a large room, many pillars erect to help keep the roof from falling in. Candles were scattered around the walls to give the Hall some added light when needed, most of them cluttered near the large desk that stood at the far end of the Hall. Tamale frowned when he saw who was sat behind the desk, who's eyebrows were tightly knitted together as she struggled to write word after word on the sheet of parchment in front of her. She had complained to Tamale many a time that writing never came naturally to her._

 _'Cassie?' he thought in wonder._

 _As Tamale began to walk forward once again, confused as to why he was in Val Royeaux during his own time, the scene before him began to disappear, the walls of the Fade rippling before showing him another scene._

 _The first thing he noticed was that he was still in Val Royeaux, and it was also daytime. He was, however, no longer in the Grand Cathedral. Instead, the Fade had taken him to the City Square, the great fountain spitting out water as the people around him went about their everyday lives. He was near a bench, which itself was empty of people to sit on it._

 _That same bench that he and his mother had sat on all those years ago; when his father had left Thedas to look for the cure he needed._

 _As he moved towards it, he was aware of a tall figure about to pass through him. Wanting very much to avoid that empty and... **chilly** feeling, he quickly side stepped out of the way, allowing the person to move on. As the figure continued to move through the square, Tamale noticed something very... **off** about the figure. By the height and build, the young boy assumed the figure to be of a male, possibly Elvhen. He wore grubby and torn clothing, the grey hood covering his face as he walked to his destination. He came to a small, secluded house near two of the shops, looking around before he knocked on the door lightly._

 _As Tamale watched, he noticed something about the tiny home. It was something about the colour, the way the wind would whistle softly through the holes of the gate, that caused a certain familiarity to course through the boy. '_ _That's MY house!' he realised as he hastily began to take off after the man. By the time he reached the gate, the door had opened, revealing an unknown woman. She ushered the man inside, looking around before closing the door._

 _Tamale walked through the wooden frame, following the two through the hallways that he had gone through so many times before as a child._

 _Well, a **younger** child._

 _"Set yerself down there," the woman told the man. The large figure walked toward_ _a kitchen chair, finally taking his hood down as he glanced around the rooms before letting his head fall back to relax._

 _At that moment, Tamale's breath caught in his chest. His eyes went round as tears came to spill down his cheeks as he took in the man's face._

 _The man was indeed an Elf, as shown by the Vallaslin that painted his face. His green eyes, piercing and proud, were alert yet relaxed as he looked around the room once more. The scars adorning his face sat white on his cheeks, moving as he talked. The brown hair, longer than Tamale had remembered it to be, pooled down to the mans shoulders._

 _Tamale felt his heart race as he grabbed his pendant, keeping it tight in his hand as he fought hard to breathe. "Papa..." he let out a strangled whimper, wanting with everything he had to step forward and jump into his fathers arms, but refusing, as he knew from experience that he would only be met with bitter disappointment._

 _"How long have ye been back?" the woman asked, fiddling with the kettle that hung above the newly-lit fire._

 _"A few weeks," Theron replied. "In Thedas, that is. I've had to stay low. Not even Alistair knows I'm back yet."_

 _The woman chuckled. "No wonder. With how busy the King is at the moment I wouldn't be surprised if he missed the beginning of another Blight," she joked. When the kettle began to boil, she poured the tea into a cup before handing it to Theron, who seemed to be too entranced with looking around the room, taking in some of the changes before turning back to the woman._

 _"I appreciate the pleasantries, Jane," he said, taking a small sip of the liquid before placing it on the table and reaching into his backpack. "But I need to make this quick. I've spent enough time away from my family. I want to return to my wife and son as soon as I can."_

 _"Understood, Warden-Commander," 'Jane' said. She placed the kettle onto the side, placing her own cup down as well before coming in front of him. Whatever he had taken out of his bag, he had placed in her hands. She tightened her hold on it, blocking Tamale's view of the item, listening carefully to what Theron was telling her, which was all but muffled to Tamale as the scene began to, once again, disappear._

* * *

Tamale awoke with a start, the sun beating down on him through the window as he sat up in his bed suddenly. The room was empty except for him, the squawking of birds muffled by the door to the Rookery, which was closed. Leliana was already up for the day, as shown by her absence and the neatness of her bed. Rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, he distinctly noticed the wetness that he felt as he drew his hand away. He'd been crying in his sleep.

Remembering his dream, he laid back into bed, looking up at the ceiling as he bit the inside of his cheek anxiously. _'Val Royeaux...'_ he thought. ' _That's nearly two whole weeks away...'_

Knowing that his father was back in Thedas was a relief, and the thought excited Tamale. But he wasn't really home. Not yet.

The bedroom door opened, Leliana's head peering around the door before she came into the room fully when she noticed Tamale was awake. "Good morning," she greeted. "I came in to wake you, but too late, it seems." She smiled down to him before kissing him on the cheek.

In that moment, Tamale wondered if he should tell his mother of what he'd dreamt. She would be as ecstatic as he was, maybe even more so... Sensing his hesitation, Leliana's expression turned to that of concern. "Are you alright, Tamale?"

Looking back up to his mother as he smiled, he nodded his head, giving her a toothy grin. "I'm fine," he said. "I... just had a good dream, that's all."

* * *

Months had passed since the Breach had been closed and Corypheus defeated, the Inquisitor standing tall in the ruins that the Ancient Magister had made. Fereldan was slowly coming back to normal, with the help of the Inquisition, the country's King, and oddly enough; Cassandra.

When word had spread that Corypheus had been defeated, the Collage of Clerics announced that they would be travelling to Val Royeaux to elect a new Divine. After the incident at the Winterpalace, Leliana had been informed that she was a candidate. After much thought and conversation with her colleagues, she turned down the offer, letting everyone know that she would refuse to become the Divine if the time came. It was for selfish reasons, but she knew that she would do more good when she was outside the Grand Cathedral walls. She also remembered how tired and frustrated Justinia would become at times. She didn't want Tamale growing up with a mother like that.

So that left the remaining two candidates for the Collage to choose; Madame Vivienne De Fer, or Cassandra Pentaghast. Cassandra had seemed eager enough to do the job, as did Vivienne. With the added influence of the Inquisitor and the unanimous decision of the Grand Clerics, Cassandra had been elected Divine Victoria, and had left Skyhold a month after to attend her coronation at Val Royeaux.

Morrigan and Kieran had left Skyhold many weeks before. To where, no one really knew, but Leliana was confident that she would see the apostate again someday. Tamale was saddened by the loss of his close friend, but soon bounced back, as children tend to do.

Leliana and Tamale themselves had decided to stay in Skyhold, the Spymaster continuing to help wherever she could until she could no longer be of use. And from all the reports that continued to go her way, she feared that day wouldn't be anytime soon.

It was on such a day that she was looking over parchment after parchment at her desk in the Rookery as Tamale fed the birds, the large bag of bird seed getting smaller and smaller as he gave the seeds out in small handfuls at a time. "Mamae?" he spoke up for the forth time that morning, his tongue holding an un-asked question as Leliana looked up from her desk. "Why do birds have to eat seeds? Why don't they eat normal food like everyone else?"

Leliana smiled to herself as she thought of an answer. Such simple questions her son would ask sometimes, yet they needed the most thinking about to answer properly. "It depends on the time of year, Tamale. Wild birds often eat seeds during the winter as it becomes difficult to find insects and worms under all the snow. The seeds give them what they need until winter has passed. If we already have the seeds they need here, there's no point in letting them out of their cages to hunt yet. And as for them eating 'normal food', the cooks don't want them getting a taste for it, lest they begin raiding the kitchens for more. We wouldn't have enough to give to all the birds, too."

Tamale looked back to his mother as she explained patiently to him, and he listened carefully to the answer she gave. "Oh," he said simply, before looking back to the birds and giving them more feed. "I thought it was because proper food was bad for them."

Smiling again, Leliana looked back down to her report as she listened to one of the ravens pick at the seeds from his hand, the open shell the birds didn't want hitting the bottom of the cage with a loud ' ** _Clang!_** '. A few minutes passed, Leliana coming to the end of her response to one of her agents in the field. After she was done with the next report, she would take a break for a while, maybe go for a stroll on the battlements, or maybe go see Josie.

That is, if Josephine wasn't already... _occupied_ with the Inquisitor.

Wrapping the parchment into a tightly wound scroll, Leliana tied her letter onto the leg of one of the fed hawks. She took the bird to the window and set it loose, the hawk already knowing where to go as it spread its large wings out and began its journey.

Turning toward the desk once more, Leliana noticed the eerie silence of the Rookery. There was no more noise coming from the birds, no cracking open the shells of seed and letting what they didn't need fall to the metal grounds below them. At first, it had seemed as though Tamale had ran out bird seed, but one look at the boy showed that her suspicions were wrong. The bag in Tamale hand was still nearly full, showing the Spymaster that the birds were nowhere near finished eating their fill.

Looking to her son, Tamale seemed to be staring into space, one hand wrapped tightly around the bag, the other stretched to the bird he was feeding. The outstretched hand, however was empty of seed. Frowning, Leliana walked to her son, who seemed to not even notice her movements. She placed a hand on his shoulder and gave a squeeze. "Tamale?" she asked, her voice loud and clear so he could hear her. It took a few moment for the boy to react. First, he brought his empty hand away from the cage and wiped it down his tunic shirt, dragging his nails across the fabric and he cleaned his hand. His eyes went wide as his mouth hung open slightly as his breathing began to quicken. "Tamale? Are you alright?" Leliana asked again, concern evident in her voice.

Tamale looked up at her for a few moment, then smiling widely as tears crept to his eyes.

Then suddenly, he dropped the bag of bird seed to the floor, ignoring the way the feed spread across the ground as it fell out of the bag, and ran to the stairs, ignoring his mothers shouts as he hurried down them.

Leliana frowned at her sons behaviour, quickly picking up the bag and placing it on her desk before making her way after Tamale. As she made her way down the stairs, she made a mental note to clean up the mess later. The people she passed gave her confused looks as she ran passed them.

Tamale ran into the Main Hall, then down the stairs that led to the Castle Grounds, Leliana only seconds behind him as he ran towards the gate. As they neared the large, open gate, Tamale sped up, running faster to the wooden frame.

There were few people at the gate, mainly the Gate Operator and a few civilians who had decided to stay at Skyhold for a little while longer. Amongst these people was a tall man, a traveller, Leliana assumed, due to his ragged clothes, mucky appearance and the worn backpack that was slung over his shoulder. The hair that stuck out of his hood was long and scruffy, as though he hadn't had a bath in days after travelling. The man seemed to be talking to one of the civilians.

Or more so, the civilian was shaking his hand. Rather vigorously, actually.

This, Leliana noticed, was who Tamale was running to.

The man seemed to notice this too, as when he saw that the young boy was running to him, he stopped shaking the civilians hand, letting go quickly to bend down on a single knee and to take the young boy into his arms when Tamale reached him, nearly sending them both over into the ground when he bowled into the man. "Oh, little hunter..." the man huffed into the boys hair.

 _'That voice...'_ Leliana thought hesitantly as her run came to a halt mere meters in front of the pair. ' _Could it...?'_

After a few moments, the two pulled out of the embrace, Tamale's fingers going to the hood that covered the mans face. He pulled it back, letting the clothe fall down to his shoulders, his hair coming out in its full thickness. "Papa!" Tamale exclaimed as his hand went to his fathers Vallaslin.

Theron pulled the boy into another embrace as Tamale's arms wrapped around his neck tightly, his cheek resting on his fathers shoulder. Leliana watched the two, her hand coming to her mouth to cover the strangled sob that escaped her lips. ' _Theron... oh **Maker**...'_

Theron gave a tight squeeze to the young boy in his arms again before pulling away, holding the boy at arms length as he peered down at him. "Well, not so 'Little Hunter' anymore, are you?" he gave Tamale a smile as he wiped the tears away from his son's cheeks with his thumb.

Tamale gave a watery laugh, then brought his hands to inside his shirt, bringing out the Pendant from around his neck. He lifted it over his head and pressed it to his father's hand. "I looked after it for you, like you said," Tamale said proudly, not even registering that that was the first time he'd _ever_ taken the Amulet off.

Theron smirked at the young boy, shaking his head slightly as he looked down at the Halla-adorned Amulet. Lifting it over Tamale's head, he placed the pendant so it was back around his neck. "It's yours, Little Hunter," he said gently, letting the amulet settling on his son's chest. Theron gave a smile as he stood, ruffling Tamale's hair as he rose. He look a step forward, his eyes coming to Leliana, who stood, mouth agape, in front of him a small distance away.

Neither moved, neither were _able_ to as they took in the others face and appearance. Leliana closed her mouth as she began to smile, Theron taking the first few steps toward his wife. She met him half way, throwing her arms around his neck as his own went around her waist, holding onto her tightly as his nose fell deeply into her honeycombed-scented hair, breathing in deeply as the arms around his neck tightened. Leliana sniffled as they came into a long awaited embrace, relishing the feel of his arms around her, and the feel of him in her arms. She's waited _so_ long for this...

"Theron..." she whispered into his neck, placing a small kiss at the nape. " _Mon ange_..."

"Shh," he cooed to her as he pulled away slightly, using one of his hands to cup her face. Tears rolled down her face as he pressed their foreheads together, rubbing her cheek with his thumb in comfort as he stared into her blue eyes. He gave a laugh, pressing their lips together after a moment.

Leliana sighed into the kiss, into the all so familiar action that she'd been denied over the past few years. Her hand came to his messy hair, her fingers running through it as the two became reacquainted. Theron pulled back first, rubbing their noses together as he chuckled again. " _Ma Vhenan_... I've missed you," he muttered. " _Ir abelas_... I was away for so long..."

"You're here now," Leliana said, giving another kiss to his lips. "That's all that matters." They ebraced once again, Leliana feeling the familiararity of him in her arms coming back to her.

"Yes," Theron muttered to her again. "You're right, _Emma Lath_." Theron felt a pair of arms encircle his waist, and looked down to see Tamale, his son's arms secure around him. Smiling again at his wife and son, he placed his arm around the boy's shoulder, as the other stayed around Leliana's waist, hugging them both to him as the three ebraced. The onlookers gave cheers, others whistling in approvment of the reunion, but none of them mattered.

To the people, the Hero of Fereldan may have returned, but to the three in the embrace, their family had just been reunited.

 _ **A.N: Aaaand that's all folks!**_

 _ **I know I said in the last chapter that I would do an epilogue if it was wanted, and a few people said yes, so I sat down and began writing what I had in my head. And sadly,**_ **none _of it was coming out the way I wanted it to. Everything I wrote just felt boring, and that's when I know that an end has come to a Story Arc._**

 ** _Sorry for those who wanted an epilogue. I just cant find the inspiration for one anymore. My sincere apologies. I'll see in a while if I can try again, but for now I have nothing._**

 ** _Thanks for all those who followed, favourited and reviews this Fic, it's all very appreciated. I'm accepting prompts if anyone wants to give any ideas, I'll be happy to write them out, as well as a few ideas that I have myself._**

 ** _Have a good one,_**

 ** _~RJay :)_**


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